Here is a recipe for Satin Balls, that takes the best recipes from the internet and combines them with information shared in the Food and Nutrition Forum, along with a discussion of the ingredients.

Satin Balls appear to have developed in the show community, as an uncooked, homemade dog food to improve coats and put weight on a skinny dog, quickly. Many recipe variations have proliferated on the internet, but a few are mentioned frequently. The dog rescue community also uses Satin Balls to put weight on underweight dogs. The following recipe combines the best elements of two of the most common recipes circulating on the internet.

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Divide into freezer bags in daily ration portions (some divide into 10 equal portions, others 14, and I divide it into one-pound packs). Flatten out the filled bags to expel air and completely fill the bags, and to reduce freezing/thawing times. Seal and place the bags in the freezer in a single layer. Once frozen, the bags can be stacked. For travel, the frozen bags can be placed in a cooler and used to chill other items until needed. Break thawed meat mixture into chunks or roll into meatballs. Feed raw as a meal or supplement.

Yield: approx. 17 pounds @ 1275 calories/pound.

About the Ingredients

Beef: If the goal is to improve the coat, then use leaner ground beef. If the goal is to put weight on, quickly, then use ground beef with higher fat content.

Cereal: The original recipe calls for Total cereal, but another fortified, unsweetened cereal could be used. Some competing recipes discourage the use of Total cereal “due to its high sugar content”, but since it is unsweetened, the sugar content is low. Total was chosen for the original recipe because of its vitamin content.

Molasses: Some recipes criticize the use of sugar (molasses) in the recipe, however the molasses contributes minerals and calories. If the Satin Balls were being fed on a regular basis, long-term, then one might want to omit the molasses.

Eggs: The original recipe for Satin Balls calls for 10 raw eggs. Apart from concerns about salmonella, raw egg white contains avitin which blocks the use of the B vitamin, biotin. While there is a lot of biotin in the egg yolk, to offset the avitin in the egg white, dogs do not digest raw eggs as well as they do cooked. Cooking neutralizes the avitin, allowing full use of the biotin. Cooked eggs are more nutritious and easier to digest, with more usable calories per egg, so our recipe calls for hard-boiled eggs. The shells are included for their calcium.

Other RecipesSome of the competing recipes, variously called Satin Balls or Fat Balls, call for subsets of the main Satin Ball recipe, and often add cream cheese or peanut butter. The high dairy content of some of these recipes may cause digestive upset in some dogs. Here are some of the other, popular recipes for Satin/Fat Balls.

“Combine all ingredients and mix well. Work to a doughy mixture, adding more crushed dry dog food meal as needed, if consistency is too thin. On wax paper spread some crushed dry dog food meal and roll out mixture into log shape. Refrigerate until firm and slice as needed. Feed them a slice or two several times during the day.”

Ok just made the Big Batch, the first one posted. The dog I'm feeding this too, is in real bad shape. He's normal healthy weight should be between 75-85lbs and he weights about 55-60lbs now.
Can anyone tell me about how much he should be eating in one day to bing him back up to his normal weight?

The gentlest way to raise a dog's weight is to feed him the maintenance level of kcals/day to maintain the target weight. Rapid weight gain is not desireable. In this case, the dog needs somewhere between 1625-1875 kcals/day to reach and maintain about 80 lbs of bodyweight. This can be adjusted based on his lifestage, lifestyle, and other factors, once he's in better shape.

While part of his diet can be satin balls, if this rescue is seriously underweight, he needs a diet offering certain, complete nutrition, and you could supplement with satin balls. If it were me, and I had the funds, I'd start him on a high-quality canned food, or high-protein/high-fat kibble, using satin ball treats, liberally. He needs protein to rebuild muscle and heal, and fat for rebuilding energy stores.

If you wanted to feed nothing but satin balls, then figure 79-80 kcals/oz of satin ball mixture. To feed him enough satin ball mixture to provide his daily caloric need, you would need to feed him around 1.25-1.50 lbs of satin ball mixture, per day, for him to reach and maintain 80 lbs over time.